The problem
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Starcraft Quest, and XL school buses manufactured June 1, 2015, to November 1, 2015, equipped with certain Transpec T6000, T6100, and T7000 series school bus stop arms. The affected stop arms have a reflective decal that may peel loose from the stop arm. As such, these stop arms fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 131, "School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices."
The risk
Without a reflective decal, the stop arms would have reduced visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Forest River will notify owners, and their dealers will replace the stop arm blade assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 4, 2016. Owners may contact Forest River customer service at 1-800-348-7440 or the manufacturer of the stop arms at 1-800-951-7867. Forest River's number for this recall is 5-12222015-0125.
Contacts
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized Starcraft Bus dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 16V016000.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.